Anybody ever called you a dewdropper? A kibitzer? A lounge lizard? If you never knew what the heck they meant—or if you ever wanted to toss around some hip jive yourself—this is the book you need. From Alley Apple, Box Job, and Cellar Smeller to Wood Pusher, Yegg, and Zoot Suit, this compendium of copacetic vocabulary celebrates the linguistic gems cut and polished by gangsters, hipsters, jazz musicians, and GIs during the Depression, World War II, and the fabulous 50s—some of them making the rounds again, others in danger of being KO'd forever. The hundreds of entries include definitions, etymology, and examples, and as a bonus, you get the entire "10-Code" of police radio responses, made popular when Broderick Crawford growled "10-4" every week on Highway Patrol.